“Where the original Course in Miracles was a course in thought reversal and mind training, a course to point out the insanity of the identity crisis and dislodge the ego’s hold, this is a course to establish your identity and to end the reign of the ego. (A Course of Love, P.8)”
Affirmation: “Let us end the reign of the ego.”
Reflections:
1 – An Overview
This is a concise statement that will be amplified later on in A Course of Love. It makes a clear delineation between A Course in Miracles and A Course of Love. We are led, farther on, to the understanding that we need further instruction, because with what do we replace the reign of the ego? A Course of Love is Jesus’s next step in clarification for us. To end the reign of the ego is a negative, but to live “establish your identity” is a positive. Let us add our thought to his, the thought of our heart, to try to understand and to ask for a heartfelt key to our real identity.
2 – Jesus
We are children of God, and we are brothers to Jesus. He has already walked the pathway, and in A Course of Love, later on, he says that accepting him is a necessary prelude to the pathway that we have chosen. Of course, we learned in A Course in Miracles that there are other teachers, but we who are studying together have chosen Jesus as our guide, and it behooves us to accept him fully into our heart. He can help us, even if we remained somewhat detached from him, but he can help us so much more if we truly invite him into our hearts. Then the glorious blessings are not stopped by doubt.
3 – End of the Ego
So the reign of the ego ends when we have been through the whole trilogy of A Course of Love. The first section of the combined volume of A Course of Love is still a learning experience. Later on, we will find out that there is a time for learning to cease, and for observation to be our way in this world. But I am getting ahead of ourselves. For now it is enough to know that the truths of A Course of Love give us a certainty of salvation that we may have missed until now. And A Course of Love (ACOL) gives us reassurance that our own imperfections do not truly matter. Jesus can and will step in to correct mistakes that we have not been able to change (this is also a tenet of ACIM).
Prayer:
Dear Father/Mother,
My ego is what gets me in trouble. It is weakened somewhat, in that I am not nearly as overtly goal-driven, in an egoic sense, as I used to be. I no longer thrive on competition (nor feel demoralized by competition). So again today I ask that You help me to step aside from the egoic mind and to truly let the weakened ego just die. When I say this, I am thinking of the ego as a part of myself that is actually an insane part of my mind.
I would follow my spirit, informed by You, from my depths. By this I mean the Self that knows far better than my personal self what I should do next with my life. And “next” means tonight and tomorrow, as well as years down the road.
Be with me as I seek to follow the way that Jesus points out for all of us. May I be a good steward of the thoughts that we see in this coursework, and may I interpret with a clear mind and heart what my spirit understands.
Amen.
MIRACLES EACH DAY 
I have a question. Since I have only discovered this site today, Mother’s Day 2014, what is A Course Of Love? Is this a book, or a course online, or what? I have subscribed to your blog, and look forward to receiving them.
A Course of Love is a set of three books which some believe Jesus channeled as “another Course in Miracles.” The scribe, Mari Perron, heard that phrase internally before she agreed to the task. The books are available as e-books as well as print. I have suggested that perhaps Jesus had unfinished business with us, and therefore he channeled a new trilogy. ACOL, particularly in “40 Days and 40 Nights, the ending of the Dialogues of A Course of Love” gives specific instructions for receiving Christ-consciousness (Awakening).
Most cordially, Celia
I am inherently skeptical of sequels of any kind. For those of us who have studied the Course In Miracles for many years, the obvious question is ,”Why is a sequel needed?”
I think that Jesus might have had “unfinished business” with us. ACIM dislodged the ego, but ACOL shows us how to establish a new identity. I too have studied ACIM for many years, but I find ACOL very helpful.
Best, Celia
I must qualify my interest in your “Course in Love”. It would never be, it could never be, to replace my Spirit teacher, who shares His words of wisdom with me, as He tells me that have been shared with Him. We are all channels in that we can never share what we do not now have, and we only have what has been shared with us. We each are part of a moving energy system and we each contribute to and receive from that timeless and eternal Life. Jesus was a gift from and to that Power of Love, as all prophets from all Sacred Traditions were and are.
I was raised (perhaps born) as a Christian, so I am personally familiar with the power of religious traditions on the minds of children, young and old. Perhaps it is all necessary, to help mold our minds and hearts while they are still soft enough to mold, into a form that benefits themselves and the society they were destined to become part of.
Hopefully, I am still welcome,
Love,
Jean
Thank you. Some of us follow guidance that may be intuitive from the Holy Spirit or from our Christ Self. I don’t think we have to decide, as long as we are good about following that guidance. I personally believe that Jesus channeled A Course of Love for those who were ready for something beyond A Course in Miracles. But I have an enlightened friend in my town who says that she still belongs to the Holy Spirit. So I know where you are coming from.
Thank you again for writing in.
Most cordially, Celia
I don’t necessarily think ACOL is something beyond ACIM. However, I believe ACOL could be an introduction and a steppingstone and more palatable and tangible of a starting place for those who are not quite ready for The radical spiritual thought system of ACIM. The pursuit of spiritual paths of love and acceptance is always a magnificent approach no matter what’s the form.
Very intriguing! As a Christian my first instinct is to step away and assume these writings could not be divinely inspired as they are not ‘biblical’. However, as a former Sufi, Spirit recognizes Spirit, and understands – no, intuits that this echoes the sentiment of Thomas Kempis in ‘The Imitation of Christ’ when he says at the beginning of Chapter Three “Happy is the man whom Truth by itself doth teach, not by figures and transient words, but as it is in itself.” Yes, there is nothing more intimate than having a personal relationship with Jesus, and how but for the whispers of the Spirit to the groanings of our own heart are we to know when and what Jesus speaks to another? May ‘A Course in Miracles’ and ‘A Course of Love’ bring the seeker closer to divine love!
Thank you for the reference to Thomas Kempis. This is all quite interesting.
Thank you for the ‘follow’, Celia. Very pleased to meet you. Rather embarrassingly I have never before heard of these writings, and I have been looking into these things for many years.
Oh boy, I thought when I arrived, this is going to be a laugh.
Rather, I find myself planning to buy the three books tomorrow. I do have some trouble with the idea that they are ‘channelled’ in quite sense that seems to be suggested, but what do I know. All I can say, as an enthusiastic philosopher who endorses the view of the late Upanishads and Middle Way Buddhism, is that what is said in the handful of posts that I’ve read so far seems to be philosophically rigorous. This is good enough for me. Such rigour could never be achieved by a person so stupid as to pretend to channel the truth, regardless of who is supposed to be speaking.
I’m genuinely amazed. The last time I was so amazed was just a couple of weeks ago when I stumbled across the doctrine of Divine Simplicity. I must be a useless researcher.
It’s going to take quite while for me to read the whole wonderful blog but I’ll be doing so.
All the best
Peter
Thank you so much! I hope that you will find these writings as good as I have found them to be.
Most cordially, Celia
Peter, this may be a year late, I’m not sure when you wrote your original post. The “Courses” (Love, Miracles and Way of Mastery) are wonderful to read — but really need to be practiced and applied. I just completed the workbook of a Course in Miracles–one lesson a day for 365 days–and I feel I am just starting to “get it.” So many layers so much depth to ACIM. I have the Course of Love–but am waiting until it “calls” to me. In the meantime, ACIM it is! I am no longer a seeker; I am at peace in what I have found and taking to new shifts in perception every day.
Hello Joyce. Yes. The reading is the easy bit.
Interesting. I have never heard of either course. Nice to learn of new (to me) things. Merry Christmas!
Thank you for following my blog, The Miriam Tree. I am excited to learn about A Course In Love. While I have deeply benefited from the study and application of A Course in Miracles, I have felt stuck in exactly the area that ACIL claims to address – “Where the original Course in Miracles was a course in thought reversal and mind training, a course to point out the insanity of the identity crisis and dislodge the ego’s hold, this is a course to establish your identity and to end the reign of the ego. (A Course of Love, P.8)” I look forward to finding this work and diving into it.
Thanks for sharing this. I think I have to read ACOL.
I was surprised to find out that there are many Jesus channelings out there. It is not just ACIM and ACOL.
Are you aware of the Raj material? Raja, aka Jesus, channeled by Paul Norman Tuttle, nwffacim.org.
Or the Jayem books, http://www.wayofmastery.com .
Or by Pamela Kribbe .
Or by Judith Coates.
There are many more beautiful Jeshua channelings out there.
I think we find the reading material that will help us find our way back to God. I lived in St. Paul, very near the home of the scribe of A Course of Love, Mari Perron, and she told me that she had prayed for someone to contact her shortly before I did. Someone who would help get the word out about ACOL. Some years later I started my blog. ACIM/ACOL speak to me very much, especially my 30-year exploration of ACIM. But I will look up some of these other channeled writings that you mention. Thank you.
Celia
Yes, we will find the reading material we need to find the way back home. Often in amazing ways.
If you lived close to the home of Mari Perron and were the answer to her prayer then that seems like that is an important part of your life’s mission to spread the word.
I am glad that I came across your site. This is the second time I read about ACOL and it makes me curious. I have put it on my reading list.
IIf you have spend 30 years with ACIM already, then you are an expert , and I don’t know whether you will benefit from reading the other works I mentioned.
Just for information, in order to save you some time with the search, I want to give you a few further links:
-) Raj/Jesus, channeled through Paul Tuttle, did an ACIM study group. I found that amazing. Jesus comes back and reads ACIM and comments on it. The transcripts of the gatherings are here at Pamela Parnell’s website:
http://www.pamelaparnell.com/Trans.html
-) Paul Tuttle’s websites are
http://nwffacim.org/
and
https://nwffacim.wordpress.com/
-) I enjoyed very much Paul’s books
You Are the Answer and Graduation. I learned av lot about the listening process, especially by reading the first book.
-) The material by Jayem, the Way of Mastery series, is meant to lay out a pathway to awakening. It is a series of books. The core texts are Way of the Heart, Way of Transformation, Way of Knowing.
They are available here:
http://www.wayofmastery.com/store/index.1.html
Thanks for your wonderful blog. I wish you much success in spreading the word about ACIM and ACOL.
Thank you ever so much!! This is way beyond anything that I could have expected. Blessings to you.
Love, Celia
Very interesting comments invoked by this post. I believe the ‘right’ path will always be there for us, we just have to choose to accept it…….sounds a bit like MIssion Impossible doesn’t it?
Thank you for the follow Celia, Travel safe on your life’s path
Celia, thank you very much for the follow! I am so glad our paths crossed. So many similarities I find already, indeed God has a wonderful sense of humour because there really are no coincidences…. Just earlier today, after many years, I had decided to re-read ACIM, I guess my next step is to follow it up with ACIL. Blessings, Love and Light! Your blog us a treasure, thank you for sharing so generously.
Celia, I know how to study ACIM — the workbook, the text, etc. But how do I go about the Course of Love? There are three separate parts. Are they read consecutively? And are there study groups to model groups after?
Thank you for writing in. There are words in A Course of Love that suggest that the first book (the “Course”) is meant to be read first–and then, importantly, a period of delay is encouraged before reading the second and third books (the “Treatises” and the “Dialogues”). This is an interpretation that I have made based on the words that I read. The books are, I believe, meant to be read in order, whereas in A Course in Miracles, the order was left up to the person doing the reading.
There are some study groups, one that I know of in California and one in Florida. But study groups are just now getting started, some, I believe, building on an already-formed group for A Course in Miracles. As yet, there is no clearing house to find out where to locate a study group.
I do hope that you derive great benefit from your reading.
Celia
Thanks, Celia, that was very helpful! I live in California (in San JOse area). How would I find out where a group would be located?
Go to the Miracle Distribution Center’s search for study groups for A Course in Miracles in your area. A few may have morphed into study groups for A Course of Love. So far as I know (and I think I am right), there is as yet no clearinghouse for study groups for A Course of Love. With the new combined volume, ACOL is just now reaching a much larger audience.
Thank you for writing in, and thank you for your interest.
Celia
Dear Celia, Just read this blog post thanks to Glenn’s pointer. Love it. Your writing is lovely. And wanted to add one thing to the Overview where you write “To end the reign of the ego is a negative, but to live “establish your identity” is a positive” … I do know what you mean, and see it as the pre-requisite imperative to empty our vessel – not so much a negative but a thoughtful, willing, stirring up to loosen everything no longer needed – neutralizing, and thus maiking ready – making room – for my true identity to take up residence. Hugs. Will I see you in NYC?
Christina —
Thank you so much. And thank you for your comment, with which I agree. No, I won’t be in New York City, though it is possible that I will go to other conferences later on.
I am enjoying our work together very, very much.
Celia
I have dabbled in A Course in Miracles over the years but recently after reading The Joseph Communications (http://www.amazon.com/The-Joseph-Communications-Fall-ebook/dp/B008PIM822 , and http://www.josephspeaks.com/English/welcome.php ) what it was trying to communicate never really sunk in because I was not ready and accepting of it. Well, things have changed, and a light bulb has snapped on in my heart and mind. So, I’m reading, studying, and practicing ACIM in earnest now. My question is can I, or should I, read, study, and practice ACIM and ACOL in tandem, together, at the same time, or should I read, study, and practice them in succession, ACIM then ACOL?
A Course in Miracles will dislodge the ego, and A Course of Love tells you what to do next. But it is important to note that A Course of Love stands on its own. The first volume recapitulates some of what A Course in Miracles has taught us. Unless you feel that your ego is particularly strong (think carefully about this), then you just might be alright going straight to A Course of Love.
I am interested in how others feel, and I welcome a dialogue on this question.
Most cordially, Celia
What besides ego could determine if your ego is particularly strong or not? It thinks it knows everything! And we all know that it isn’t real and makes lousy decisions. I have the Course of Love sitting here and I know that Holy Spirit will guide me when it is right for me to start. Right now, ACIM has my full attention and application.
Joyce —
Bravo! You sound so determined.
The ego is often misguided, I think. But the guidance that we get from the Holy Spirit is right on target, as long as we don’t get confused and do something damaging because we think, erroneously, that we are listening aright.
Wonderful to follow A Course in Miracles.
Love, Celia
I feel that the metaphysics in ACIM is so good that it would be a mistake to miss it. At last Christianity has an identifiable philosophical foundation. But I don’t know ACOL so perhaps it is equally good in this area.
I followed A Course in Miracles intensively for over 20 years before I found A Course of Love. ACIM is fantastic, in my opinion. I still stay up to date on it, trying also to incorporate A Course of Love, which I view as a sequel.
Follow your guidance in regard to when and how much to read each book. That is the best that I can say.
Celia
It’s delightful to discover and read this discourse between kindred spirits!
In addition to what has previously been mentioned, I’d like to recommend John Smallman’s WP blogs: Jesus Through John (which reflects ACIM) and John Smallman’s Blog, both of which are ‘channeled’…
And please allow me to suggest Miracles Magazine, published by Dr. Jon Mundy, who has also published numerous books on ACIM. There is such a wealth of wonderful things being published and shared with love, helping to awaken us and deliver us ‘Home!’
Not sure about praying Father/Mother when the Bible instructs us to ask everything in Jesus’ name, but the rest of the blog was good and thought provoking.
Jesus knows He was God willing to experience the crucifixion, dying, and the resurrection to His original Life out of love for humanity. In order to lift all of humanity up to His and His Father’s enjoyment of the Godhead.
But what about us? Can also we enjoy the same Self-knowledge Jesus enjoys by knowing He was God willing to go through all that but to make others as perfectly happy as He is?
Could that not only be if also we were willing to and actually went through that process? Meaning knowing that also we gave our Life for the humans, to also bring the humans to the enjoyment no one but the One who was willing to be tortured to death by the very ones He was to make eternally happy with His Self-Knowledge can have?
Only if taking on the human experience is the crucifixion and death.
Compared to the infinitely great happiness we enjoyed as God before incarnating the human existence is the crucifixion and living death in hell.
Every morning you open your eyes and experience being but a member of the most scary and feared race of predators you have given Your Life for the human you experience being again. As well as for all other humans. And You are the One Who did that by taking on their human experience as well.
This everyone has the right to remember, as God has that right. And God is your true Being.
Christ Self-awareness includes this Self-knowledge.
Thank you for your blog! I just wanted to point out what seems to be a small editing error. I don’t believe the word “live” is meant to be in this sentence: “to end the reign of the ego is a negative, but to live “establish your identity” is a positive. “
I very much like these words in ACIM:
“To be fatigued is to be dis-spirited, but to be inspired is to be in the spirit. To be egocentric is to be dis-spirited, but to be self-centered in the right sense is to be inspired or in spirit. The truly inspired are enlightened and cannot abide in darkness.
You can speak from the spirit or from the ego, as you choose. If you speak
from spirit you have chosen to “Be still and know that I am God.” These
words are inspired because they reflect knowledge. If you speak from the
ego you are disclaiming knowledge instead of affirming it, and are thus disspiriting yourself. Do not embark on useless journeys, because they are
indeed in vain. The ego may desire them, but spirit cannot embark on them
because it is forever unwilling to depart from its foundation.
~ACIM, Text, The illusions of the Ego, Introduction.
“Self-centered in the right sense.”
That is obviously not meant in the egocentric sense. So it is Christ’s Self-centeredness that is the right sense. In other words, it means that when we think “I” it is God Who as we in His Humanity is thinking “I”, and that we lovingly believe this is true.
So interesting! I was not aware of these courses. I really like the idea of focusing on a positive instead of the negative aspects of things (“To end the reign of the ego is a negative, but to live “establish your identity” is a positive.”)
And I definitely believe Jesus Christ has more to say to us –every day!
My ACIM study group the facilitator selects a new topic every week. So my “topic” (it was my turn as facilitator) was “Love”. Using Ken’s glossary I found and read every passage on this subject – it took hours.
“The course (ACIM) does not aim at teaching the meaning of Love, for that is beyond what can be taught. It does aim, however, at removing the blocks to the awareness of Love’s presence”.
Just about everything I read via Ken’s glossary was about the “BLOCKS” to the awareness of Love’s presence… NOT about the very awareness of Love’s presence.
I have studied for years both ACIM & ACOL. ACIM is about the mind and the blocks to Love. ACOL is about the heart and the awareness to Love’s presence.
There are a thousand different paths back to God. What ever works… that’s the right path.
great post
It so happened that yesterday I received a newsletter from the ACOL website, and posted a reply below that newsletter message on that website. In case anyone would be interested:
“The Bull and Me”
By Paula Hardin
https://acourseoflove.org/the-embrace-40-the-bull-and-me/#comment-777
O but Father is so timely! What a joy for our paths to cross. He’s bringing us all back home–Yahushua –our Home. Back home where we belong abiding in our Master Redeemer of our souls. Without Him? We can do nothing of eternal value. So much to share! Soon, sooner than we can imagine? His Kingdom within us will prevail. We owe nothing to that wicked ego! Glad for your visit. Glad for my visit. Much love, thia. 🙂
“Without Me -apart from Me- you can do nothing.”
John 15:5
http://biblehub.com/john/15-5.htm
Any good thing you do God is doing as you. (He did not say that you can do nothing, but that without Him or apart from Him you can do nothing.)
But can you not do bad things without and apart from Him?
No, because when you see yourself do something you think is bad, you will feel bad for it. Your conscience will accuse you, and you will feel guilty.
Also that is God then feeling as you. He is carrying all your errors and all the imperfections you see in yourself. Meaning that He is experiencing it all as you. Including all all your weaknesses and feelings of not being good enough, wanting to be better.
“He who confesses his sins, and accuses them, now does the work with God.
God accuses your sins: and if you also accuse, you are united to God.”
~Augustine Tractate 12 (John 3:6-21) chapter 3, paragraph 13.
“To him that believes in Him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is
counted for righteousness.” (Romans 4:5.)
This is the work in which we may be doing the works of Christ,
for even our very believing in Christ is the work of Christ.
It is this He works in us, not certainly without us.”
~Augustine, Tractate 72 (John 14:10-14), paragraph 2.
The course (ACIM) does not aim at teaching the meaning of love, for that is beyond what can be taught.
It does aim, however, at removing the blocks to the awareness of love’s presence, which is your natural inheritance.
ACIM Introduction
I spent many, many hour reviewing ACIM, looking for examples of the blocks and the awareness to Loves presence. ACIM speaks a great amount about the “blocks” to the awareness of Love. ACIM speaks little about actual “awareness” to Love and how said awareness manifests.
That is the difference I found between ACIM & ACOL. ACIM addresses the blocks (to Loves presence).
ACOL addresses being aware of Love’s presence and how said awareness manifests.
I have found one place in ACIM that blocks are identified, though not identified as such: “If you let your mind harbor attack thoughts, yield to judgment, or make plans against uncertainties to come, you have again misplaced yourself and made a bodily identity which will attack the body, for the mind is sick.” (W-136.20:2) ACOL says that blocks to the awareness of love are judgment and fear.
Hope this helps.
Love, Celia
A Journey Into The Unknown:
A web publication that is hosted on a person’s private-practice domain suggests that this is a transmission (inter-dictation, etc.) from Jesus that is a follow-up to ACIM and A Course In Love (ACOL). Here is some information about the contents’ Receiver and an example of the raw work-product that is generated and later formatted and transcribed for the Book’s publication by Team Members discussed in the Intro. The team has a small YouTube following that began its first Zoom meeting with anyone interested on July 8th of this year and has continued as recently as Wednesday, November 11th.
RECEIVER: http://journey.cocreatingclarity.org/receiver
INTRO: http://journey.cocreatingclarity.org/about
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOjGFGg6QZM&list=PLt7wawRAzikR4n7Iev7xtSlAnv8AKi6NU&index=1